True Love
by zendayafan100
Summary: Love is in the air nine years after Team 5D's split to pursue their dreams. With the team back in New Domino City, who will they they show their love to? (Note: Story is getting updated and a new chapter will be posted every weeek)
1. Roses and Glasses

**Author's Note:**

**Those of you going onto this story and reading the story probably realize that a few things have changed, and yes some things have.**

**I was looking back at True Love because the last time I looked at the first three chapters probably was a day before I released them onto fanfiction (which is probably been a year or two since I've checked them out). When I did, I was extremely unsatisfied with the chapters and decided to give them a fresh new flare with the new writing skills I have acquired since then. Hope you like the extended storylines and the improvements I made.**

* * *

I wiped my brow with the back of my not-so-clean hand as I inspected the engine of my Duel Runner. All fine-tuned and ready to ride again! I walked over to the nearby sink and washed my hands thoroughly before I sat down on the Duel Runner I made in the Satellite long ago and revved its engine. The sound was music to my ears and brought back countless memories of Duels.

My smile faltered as my friends flickered in my mind's eye. I turned from the door of the garage to the kitchen to my right. I could see the faint outlines of them as we celebrated a party nine years ago. Their faces, their smiles…

I turned off my Duel Runner and got off of it, walking over to the kitchen. Nine years. It still feels like the party occurred yesterday here in Zora's garage. Reality begs to differ though.

Jack, Crow, and Leo pursued being professional duelists since they left and are three of the top Duelists in the world right now resulting in where I hear or see them in the media often. Luna is sometimes mentioned as well as she is traveling with Leo, helping him out with his career. Akiza, last I heard, was pursuing a career in the medical field.

My pulse increased. Akiza… When I finished sipping the can of soda I had off to the side, I turned back to the garage where my Duel Runner was parked. The night of the party, when I had thought everyone had gone home and checked that no one had forgotten anything, Akiza was there.

I sighed and closed my eyes, draining the rest of the soda out of the can. I can't dwell on the past over things that weren't said. She looked so damn pretty in the moonlight though.

I frowned. Maybe it wasn't a good decision on my part to stay in Zora's garage. It brings too many memories back that don't help with coping. If only they weren't too busy with their careers. We could get back together again and catch up.

At times when work as a scientist was only theories still needing to be well thought out, time can crawl when you're alone.

…

I could start a hobby. Can help get my mind off of…

_-DING-DONG!_-

…or I can hold that thought and answer the door. I threw the empty soda can into the trash and frowned as I looked at the bright 10:20 that shone from the face of my clock.

_Who could be out there this late?_ I wondered as I walked up the ramp to the front door. Well I'm about to find out.

"Yes? Who is-" I lost my words as I saw the woman with long, dark burgundy hair standing outside with a shy smile on her face.

"Hi, Yusei, it's been a while hasn't it?"

If this isn't a dream, this is sure one hell of a coincidence. "Akiza…"

* * *

Carly was beyond frustrated, but she had to hide it as she wrapped up the interview with some duelist that she had no interest in.

Her career as a reporter had gotten better over the years where she could finally afford her own apartment instead of living out of her cramped car. Although her life was very stable financially, emotionally it was a wreck. Namely because of one Jack Atlas.

Said Duelist was supposed to attend this event and countless other events in New Domino City, but never showed. After years of trying to contact him, the least he could do was at least come into town and say "hi" after kissing her-

Carly had to walk out onto the balcony as her cheeks flushed at the memory that still remained fresh in her mind.

_Calm yourself, you're at work. Be professional._ As she continued her thoughts of maintaining her grace, she nearly jumped in surprise as she realized someone had joined her on the balcony.

Carly opened her mouth ready to excuse herself when she registered the face of the man and froze.

…

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

The stoic, handsome, and expressionless face of Jack Atlas faced her as he stood there in a white suit. "Good to see you, too, Carly."

Carly, realizing her jaw was on the ground, snapped her mouth closed only to open it again to try to say how furious she was at him.

Her words died in her throat at his next words. "You look nice in that dress."

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

_Error: Carly not found._

* * *

"I'm surprised you actually came to the event," Carly said much later after she got over her initial shock.

Jack shrugged casually. "New Domino City seemed to miss me so I decided to visit."

"You've been particularly busy the past two years I've noticed."

"To be honest I haven't faced any worthy opponents ye-"

"I wasn't talking about Turbo Dueling quick draw."

"Ah, yes, you're talking about-"

"…the steady stream of women you seem to start dating and drop after one dinner?" It was pretty accurate. Jack Atlas had suddenly become more "out there" in dating than Crow Hogan was, which was saying something, but ending the relationship with the woman by the end of dinner. If not by the end of dinner, then the break up would occur at lunch the next day.

"The King has to be strict with how he has to find his Queen," Jack said matter-of-factly as he leaned against the railing of the balcony.

Since getting back into Turbo Dueling, Jack fought with all his might to regain his old title "The King." He had won it back easily (currently having lost no games since returning), but as the Turbo Duel World Grand Prix drew closer and closer where Crow and Leo would be participating as well, she knew that the title would be hard to keep.

Jack smirked, looking at me from the corner of his eye. "Though excellent observation, Ms. Reporter."

Carly shrugged. "I didn't write any of those stories, I just read them."

"Well, there's one thing you should know about the King's perfect Queen." He said, turning his head to look at her fully. "She needs to be beautiful…"

"I'll be sure to remember that," I said as I swished the half-empty glass of wine in my hand.

"…smart…"

"Mhm."

"…not to mention memorable, enough to keep the King up at night…"

"Alright." She began to drink the wine…

"…much like those grey eyes of yours have…"

…only to spit it out as those words sunk in, coughing from almost choking on those words (and the drink). Carly was sure she was blushing furiously. "WHAT?!"

She was surprised to see Jacks hand shaking as it slowly reached up and took off her glasses.

"…those maddening…" He bent down lower to stare deeper into her sparkling grey eyes, his voice barely a whisper as the King's cool, calm composure was crumpling as he tilted her head up so that their eyes were locked onto each other's,"…infuriating eyes that are burned in the deepest corners of my mind."

Jack's face was close enough for Carly to make out the details from the dark haze of the night. Silence fell between them as she was forced to stare into purple eyes. The emotion and conviction in them and his words were powerful, something that would have made Carly pass out from embarrassment nine years ago. Today, however, she was different than before. His words and eyes only made her speechless as they remained staring into each other's eyes for moments that could have easily lasted hours.

It was he who broke the silence. "Carly."

"Yes?" she whispered, almost inaudibly.

He put her glasses back on and offered her his arm. "May I have this dance?"

It was then that she realized that the event inside had begun playing slow music that people were dancing to.

* * *

"So, to be clear," I said sitting back onto the couch and looking at Akiza. "You're moving back here due to a transfer from the hospital you were originally working at to New Domino City's?"

Was it 12:20 already? Time really passes when you're catching up with a friend. Her success as a doctor was great news and she congratulated my own success as a scientist. We shared some shared doubt on just how soon we could get Jack, Crow, Leo, and Luna together again to all hang out. The best news about her job was her move back to New Domino City, which I wanted to make sure I didn't misunderstand. Her nod though said I heard right.

"Yup, it's a huge promotion," she said, taking a sip of the tea I made for her. She looked away briefly before saying, "Yusei, would it be okay if I stay here and live with you?"

"Absolutely," I said. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"I don't want to be a burden if it's too much though."

I smiled. "Trust me you're not going to be a burden. You want help with moving your bags from your car to the guest room?"

She smiled softly back at me. "Thank you, Yusei. I appreciate if you could help me."

She led me outside to her car, opening the trunk so that we could get her traveling bags. Moving them to the guest room on the second floor of the garage was simple. As I placed the last bag down at the foot of the bed in Akiza's room, I turned to her. "Well, if that's all, I'll leave so that you can settle in." I began to walk to the door. "I'll see you to-"

The lights in the room turned off, causing me to pause as I felt a warm body press against my back and arms wrapping around me from behind, softly not forcefully. "Akiza?"

"Do you remember that night in the garage?" Her voice was so quiet.

I knew. She was talking about the night when she said goodbye to me before leaving New Domino City. I still remember it as if it was yesterday. She was in the garage where she didn't want the light turned on when I came in. I walked up to her and she appeared to be trying to figure out what to say to me. We then spoke of how we first met and what would have happened if she had won the first time we dueled. She then said she loved that she met me, although she hesitated saying it. That hesitation had recently kept me up at nights, wondering what she meant to say.

"Yes," I said, noticing the moonlight cast my shadow on the floor. The only other light in the garage came from the kitchen a floor below.

Silence followed for what felt like an eternity. I was tempted to break the silence, but I was uncertain of what would follow if I did.

Finally, Akiza spoke. "For nine years I kicked myself for not telling you what I wanted to truly tell you that night."

I gulped, daring to open my mouth and speak. "What did you want to tell me?"

A few moments of silence passed. "That I love you, Yusei." I was speechless and she continued to talk. "You always told me to believe in and challenge my potential, it's how I was able to get the promotion to get here. You've always stood by my side and helped me like no one else ever did."

"Akiza…"

"All these years it bothered that you never knew how I truly felt for you," she said. "I want to know how you feel about me Yusei."

She let go of me and I turned to her. I met her brown eyes, staring into them as I saw the raw emotion in her eyes. She meant it when she confessed her love to me. Those eyes hid nothing as I saw both hope and fear in them. Hope that I would accept her love. Fear that I would deny it. There was no way in hell I was going with the latter.

I didn't say anything any words would not have described my feelings for her. Instead I leaned down and kissed her soft lips tenderly. She responded by wrapping her slender arms around my neck, deepening the kiss.

Slowly began to lightly pull me with her. I had no idea why she was moving us while we kissed, but it didn't sink in until I felt her spin us around and the edge of the bed met my calves.

Not wanting to break the kiss, I gasped in a lungful of air, "Akiza, are you sure?"

She smiled at me, the intensity of it bringing back a sentence that she said that night. _"You're the one who put that smile on my face…"_

"Yes," she breathed, pushing me gently onto the bed. "If it's okay with you of course."

I kissed her briefly. "It is," I breathed to her before she pulled me back in for another kiss.

Slowly we began to strip, not wanting to break the kiss but every new bit of skin that was revealed was explored slowly, carefully, and tenderly with both eyes and mouth.

When she sat there on me fully nude, she bit her lip slightly embarrassed but enjoyed my own naked body underneath her. "A little excited aren't you?" she teased.

"Not going to lie. Yeah, I am."

"I am too," she whispered in my ear. "I've been dreaming of this moment for years now."

I hesitated. "Am I… your first?" She nodded. "Will you be okay? I heard it hurts the first time."

"I'll be okay," she said rising up. "Am I your first?" I nodded. "That's good to know."

Before I could ask she sunk down and the most indescribable bliss in the world shot through my body as I stared up at the woman I loved.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hope you liked the revamped story, lots more to come!**


	2. Luna and Dexter (Lemon)

**Author's Note:**

**Hey it's zendayafan100! This story was requested by amk8930 for Luna and Dexter. Plus, there is a little extra at the end for Leo(read and find out). Next chapter will be about Jack and Carly. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please comment.**

**Sincerely,**

**zendayafan100**

I sighed as I walked into New Domino's grocery store. I know I decided to help Leo with his professional dueling career, but did that include running errands for him? As I walked towards the soup section, I decided it would probably be best for me to be here rather than sick Leo. Otherwise his fan girls would probably get him easily. I smiled at that thought.

I found the soup that Leo liked and began to walk toward the cash registers. After buying the soup, I walked out of the store and bumped into a person who was entering.

"Ooof. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Luna? Is that you?"

I opened my eyes and looked at the man I walked into. He had long, brown hair tied up into a ponytail. He wore a white T-shirt and jeans that complimented his muscled body. His brown eyes were surprised as they looked at me.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"Luna, it's me, Dexter."

My jaw dropped. "Dexter! Oh my gosh I didn't recognize you! What happened to the scrawny kid with the glasses."

He smiled. "He went to the gym and swapped the glasses out with contacts."

We hugged. I broke the embrace and looked into his eyes. "Leo will never believe this! He'd definitely feel better after seeing you!"

Dexter raised an eyebrow. "Feel better? Is he sick?" I nodded. "Suspected with the soup that you got."

I remembered the can of soup in my hand. "Oh, yeah. You want to see Leo now?"

He laughed. "Would I? Of course, it's been years since I've seen him. How come you guys left New Domino nine years ago?"

As we walked to the house that Leo and I stayed in since we were kids, I explained to Dexter how our parents wanted to get back together with us. Since they were in a different city, we had to move. Leo then began his career as a professional duelist when he turned eighteen, four years ago.

Once we entered my home, I heard the television blaring with volume. Now I knew where Leo was at least. When Dexter and I got to the living room, I noticed Leo was watching his favorite action movie. I grabbed the remote and paused the movie.

Leo coughed and gave me a dirty look. "Hey, it was getting to a good part!"

"Leo we have a guest with us."

Leo noticed Dexter right next to me. "Ehh? Who's he? Your new boyfriend?"

I blushed as Dexter and Leo roared into laughter. Dexter was able to speak after a minute of catching his breath. "You haven't changed a bit Leo. It's me Dexter!"

Leo's eyes looked like they would pop out of his head. "Dexter?! Is that you?" Dexter nodded. "DUDE! Rocking those biceps I see! So how's my brainiac friend doing?"

"Well, actually I'm teaching classes at the Duel Academy we used to go to. Apparently a lot of those kids are huge fans of yours." Leo's grin widened at that. "I actually analyze your duels to them to help teach them. I'm one of the few teachers they listen to you since I've stated that I was your friend."

Leo laughed. "Awesome!"

I looked at Dexter. "How many other teachers do they listen to?"

"Three. Mrs. Bartlet, Bob and Patty."

Now Leo smile faded. He looked at Dexter seriously. "Today's Thursday why aren't you teaching?"

"I don't teach the last two periods of the day, so I get out early."

"You mean the others are still at school?"

"Most likely, but sometimes they leave with the students."

Leo jumped off the coach and raced out the door wearing his T-shirt and some shorts. Dexter yelled after him. "Wait! Those kids will swarm toward you at the first sight of you!"

"I CAN HANDLE THEM, DUDE! JUST NEED TO MEET AN OLD FRIEND!"

After I heard him take off in his duel runner, I looked at Dexter. "He wants to see Bob?"

Dexter shook his head. "Naw, he told me one day before you guys left that he had a crush on Patty. Probably is going to see her."

I frowned. "I wonder why he didn't tell me?"

"Leo sometimes told me some more of his private thoughts, knowing that you would probably joke about the crush."

I smiled at him. "You are right about that."

"How long do you think he'll take?"

I though back at the times Leo has spent with Crow about dating. "Well, if I had to guess, we might have to wait for the next day till he's available."

"In that case, is it okay if I have dinner with you?"

I looked at Dexter questioningly. "Are you asking me on a date?"

Dexter shrugged. "It doesn't have to be a formal one. We could just eat some take-out here and talk."

I bit my lip uncertainly. "Okay."

* * *

Dinner was nice. We had some pizza and talked about our lives. By the time we finished dinner, it was eight p.m. And there was no sign of Leo.

Dexter frowned when I brought this up. "What do you think he's doing?"

"Most likely he's hitting it off with Patty or trying to fight off a mob of children."

We both laughed at that last mental image. Then Dexter became serious. "What do you think about the comment Leo made? About me being your boyfriend?"

I'm sure I was blushing furiously. "Ummmm... well I was a little embarrassed. I know he was kidding since he didn't recognize you..."

Dexter raised an eyebrow. "I'm sensing a 'but' is about to be said."

"...but you're actually the nicest guy that's come up to me ever since I've started dating. Plus..."

I didn't get to finish my sentence since we both started making out right there. Somehow, we were able to stand up and get to my room.

I broke the kiss, panting. "Do you have protection on you?"

"Uh, no." His eyes widened suddenly when he realized what I was asking of him. "Wait, do you really want to do this with me?"

I looked into his eyes. "I'm certain. Don't worry Leo has a bunch of protection in his room."

"How do you know?"

"You know the Turbo Duelist Crow Hogan?" He nodded. "He's a good friend of ours, but he's a huge sex addict even though he's still a virgin. Some of that rubbed off on Leo, so he's ready in case he gets lucky."

Dexter nodded and once I got the protection for him, we continued making out. Slowly, our clothes fell to the ground. When we were completely naked, Dexter sat down on the bed and put on the protection.

He looked at me uncertainly. "Do you want to be on top?"

I kissed him. "If you want me to, I will."

With that, I position myself over his manhood and went down on him. I cried out in pain at the entry. I expected that there would be pain, but not this much pain. I wrapped my arms around Dexter, who stopped when I cried out. After several minutes, I told Dexter that I was no longer in pain.

The rest of the night was a blur as we made blissful love to each other. When I woke up the next morning, Dexter was already up, his hand lightly brushing my hair.

He smiled at me. "Good morning, Luna."

I pecked his lips with a light kiss. "Good morning, Dexter."

We were eating breakfast when Leo came home. I noticed two things immediately. One, his face was covered with lipstick marks. Two, he was walking kind of funny.

He sat down and I pushed a plate with toast on it towards him. After going through almost all the bread and three glasses of milk, he started talking.

"Patty was at the school when I got there, and she was as excited to see me as I was to see her. I took her out to dinner, then we went over to her place. She opened the champagne..."

"... and you two got drunk and made love?" Inquired Dexter.

Leo shook his head. "No, neither of us finished our glasses before we started making love." He looked up at the ceiling. "Thank goodness I have a few condoms on me wherever I go. I think we had sex for four hours straight before we tired out."

Dexter and I were looking at him with eyes now. Leo looked at us. "What did you guys do?"

Dexter hesitated. "Well..."

I finished the sentence. "We're going out now." Leo's expression was priceless. If only I had my camera on me.


	3. Jack and Carly (Lemon)

**Author's Note:**

**Hey, it's zendayafan100 again! I hope you guys enjoy the Jack and Carly story. I kind of had a few writing blocks a few times for how Jack and Carly would meet. I hope you guys enjoy the story. Coming soon: Crow and Sherry!**

**Sincerely,**

**zendayafan100**

I walked down the street towards Carly's house. I didn't have to worry about being pestered by the media here. Where Carly lived now was an area that she sort of "staked out" in media standards.

I sighed as I watched Carly's house. It's been nine years since I've last seen her, and I missed her. Sure, I enjoyed being a professional duelist, but I realized I was missing something as the years progressed. Carly. It took a while for me to realize that.

I collected myself before striding towards Carly's house. I knocked on the door a couple of times. The door opened a minute later by Carly. I didn't show it openly, but I was surprised at how beautiful she looked.

Carly gasped when she saw me. "Jack! What a pleasant surprise! Please come in. What's new with you?"

Everyone knew what was going on with my career. I answered her even though she probably knew. "Crow, Leo, and I are still in the middle of settling some scores with each other before we decide to enter a team tournament."

Carly gasped. "That's so cool! Soon everyone will officially know that the three of you are friends."

"What's new with you Carly?"

"Oh, following a few leads for some big scoops I have. Nothing big."

She wasn't giving herself much credit. After doing some stories about our fight against Yliaster and Yusei's success in making a safe Ener-D reactor for New Domino City, she became a very popular and famous reporter. Now she was able to live in something other than her car. I walked into her living room.

"What brings you here, Jack?" She hastily tried to move a folder away from my sight, but it fell out of her hands.

Quickly, I grabbed the folder before it fell to the ground, but a few articles slipped out. They were about...me. Carly quickly grabbed the articles off of the ground, blushing furiously.

"Those articles...why do you have articles about me, Carly?"

Carly's cheeks reddened. She looked down, away from my eyes embarrassed. "Uh, well...after you left I tried to follow you, but every time I made it to a tournament you had left. After three years, I got nowhere close to getting near to you. I've been collecting articles about you to see how you've been doing."

I walked up to her and tilted her chin up. "Carly, I'll tell you how I've been for the past nine years. For the first eight years, I pushed myself hard to be successful as a professional duelist. Then, for the past year, I felt like I was missing something from my life. Dueling didn't cheer me up regardless of how tough my opponent was. I realized that I missed you, Carly Carmine."

Carly's eyebrows shot up. "You...love me?"

I kissed her to answer that question. I slowly began to deepen the kiss, but I was surprised at how much Carly was deepening it in response.

When we came up for air, Carly's cheeks were red. "Jack...I want to do it with you."

I was still so filled with lust that I didn't understand what she meant for a second. It wasn't until she pulled her shirt off was when it clicked.

We immediately continued making out as we made our way to her bedroom. We were naked by the time we got to the bed. A thought occurred to me and I stopped while I put on some protection on.

"Carly, are you a virgin?"

"Um...yes."

"You know this will hurt right?" She nodded. "Which is why I won't do it..." Carly looked hurt and was trying to jumble some words together. "...unless you take off your glasses."

From all the making out we were doing, those big glasses of hers somehow stayed perched on her nose. I took them off and saw Carly's eyes. Those big beautiful eyes that always took my breath away.

Carly fidgeted under my stare. "What is it, Jackie?"

"Nothing," I kissed her, my eyes never left her face. "It's just you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. They're like beautiful jewels on your face."

"Thank you, Jackie."

I positioned myself to enter her. "Listen, if you'r in pain, I want you to tell me, okay. I don't want you acting tough for you first time."

She nodded her head and I entered her. She screamed as she clung onto me for dear life. I kissed her to silence the scream and stopped my movements in her. After a while, she began to move in and out of me without showing any signs of pain.

With that, our love-making intensified as we tried to make ourselves come. I was a little surprised near the end when Carly pinned me down on the bed. When we finished, I wrapped my arms around Carly and kissed her before we drifted off to sleep.

I woke up to the sound of an alarm. Carly thankfully turned it off. We kissed each other and got up. However, we didn't get dressed. This gave me a nice view of Carly while she made some breakfast. Carly had to get ready for work, sadly.

When we put our clothes on, I asked Carly for some paper and a pencil. I gave her the number to my personal cell phone that very few people knew, so that we could schedule a time to meet. Carly kissed me when I gave her my number, and I knew that there would be nobody else that I would love so much.


	4. Yusei and Akiza (Lemonless)

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! Zendayafan100 here back with another chapter for this story. For those of you who have enjoyed the previous chapters in your own ways, this was not the chapter I had planned after Jack and Carly. I wrote this chapter only because I had more ideas for Yusei and Akiza than Crow and Sherry. Sorry about that but I'm writing with whatever my heart feels is right to write.**

**Besides don't expect many other chapter updates for this unless I get another urge to write this chapter OR if I get a request by someone to add another chapter for a couple from 5D's. This is just an FYI for all you great readers out there.**

**ALSO:****unlike the previous Akiza and Yusei chapter I did, this chapter will not be a lemon (sorry I need to buy more LOL XD)! It's just them as a couple. Plus, the beginning of Sherry and Crow is in here with Sherry asking Yusei about... actually, I'll just let you guys read and find out XD.**

**Now enjoy the story and R and R if you liked it. I'd love to hear your comments for this chapter. Write on forever!**

**Z-Fan100**

* * *

(Yusei)

I'm still not used to driving in a car, I probably will never get used to it. I was driving home from a busy day at the lab. It was days like these that I wished the parking structure I used allowed Duel Runners to park.

When was the last time I rode it anyway? I've been working on it a lot, but I haven't ridden it at all these past nine years. I chuckled a bit at the thought. Working on a Duel Runner, but never riding it? That doesn't make any sense at all. I should probably give it a test run.

I reached the back of Zora's garage and pressed the button on the garage door opener from its place on my dashboard. I pulled into the garage right next to where my duel runner sat, pressing the garage door opener again to close the garage as I looked at the vehicle that I created from spare parts in the Satellite. It's been on a long journey since I made it.

I suddenly realized that another Duel Runner was parked next to mine, Akiza's. She must have gotten out of work early today. I got out of my car and walked towards the TV area of the garage where I could hear sounds of a recorded duel going on. I found Akiza sitting on the couch watching the duel that I heard from my car.

"How was work Akiza?" I asked while I went fished a water bottle from the fridge. I paused in mid-sip when I realized that Akiza hadn't responded. "Akiza?"

I looked at her and was shocked to find that she was watching the duel with a frightful look on her face.

"_I will defeat you, witch! I summon Junk Synchron to the field!_" Wait a sec…Junk Synchron? Was she watching-? I immediately walked over to the TV and looked at the duel where a man dressed like me was glaring defiantly at the camera.

The camera shifted to a woman dressed similarly to what Akiza used to dress up in at the Fortune Cup. In the background was an audience that was shouting insults to the woman. What disturbed me the most was the face of evil that was worn on the woman.

I immediately recognized this as a movie that was released a year ago portraying the Fortune Cup. I watched that movie and soon realized that it overdramatized the event to where Jack and I were "heroes" and most of our opponents were "villains." It was so horribly inaccurate that I left within the first ten minutes of the movie.

But now here it was playing on my TV with actors portraying as Akiza and I throwing insults at one another. I noticed the DVD casing for the movie on the DVD player with a sticker on it, indicating that it belonged to the local library of New Domino City (where Akiza went occasionally). I bent down and ejected the disk before I could hear anymore insults.

That's when I heard sobbing. I turned to see Akiza crying, her tears slowly streaking down her beautiful cheeks. I slowly sat down next to her and held her close while I gently wiped away her tears.

"Akiza? What is it? Why are you crying?"

She slowly looked into my eyes, more tears falling from them. "Do you view me as a monster?"

My eyes widened in shock. "What? No! Ignore the movie, it was overdramatizing the event. That's all. It didn't capture who you are."

She looked away, ashamed. "But what about the pain I caused you?"

Oh, she was back on that again. "You did cause me pain, but like I said last week when you first got here, I forgive you for that. It's far behind us now."

There was silence as she began to calm down. She looked at me, smiling. "Thanks, Yusei. I'm sorry about that. I just didn't realize that people still remember the Black Rose."

I shrugged. "Yeah, some people still remember things that should be forgotten."

I returned the movie to the library immediately afterwards for Akiza, who wanted to prepare dinner for both of us, riding on my Duel Runner. It felt great again feeling the wind on my face again. The only thing that was out of place was the absence of my Duel Disk and my deck, both of which lay on a table in my room.

After dropping off the DVD in the library, someone shouted my name. "Yusei Fudo!"

I turned to see Sherry LeBlanc, holder of the title: Strongest Female Duelist. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of another friendly face. "Sherry! How are you?"

She shrugged, talking with almost no accent anymore. "Eh, earning titles, dueling, accepting challenges, etc. It's been dragging on like that for the past nine years."

I frowned a bit. "Sounds like you're not enjoying going pro."

"To be honest, I'm not. It's kind of lonely if you don't make friends."

I raised an eyebrow. "Within the span of nine years, wouldn't you have made a friend somewhere in that time?"

She chuckled a bit at my statement. "I have made a lot of friends, but…" She paused looking into my eyes. "I'm talking about friends that have a…stronger bond."

It took me a second to figure out what she was saying. "Wait, are you talking about dating?"

She nodded. "Yes, I actually have been looking around for you to ask if you would like to have dinner together. Do you accept?"

"Well, I'm sorry but I'm already in a relationship with someone."

"Let me guess, Akiza?"

I started a bit at how fast she responded. She laughed at my action. "Don't get all surprised. I figured you two would be going out eventually. You had that certain chemistry together when I found you in the back of that Yliastar truck."

"Really? I didn't notice we had a chemistry together."

"Most 'friends'…" She used her fingers to do air quotes before continuing talking. "…don't notice it until later. But anyway back onto why I'm here, I was wondering if you know if Jack or Crow are available for dating."

I looked at her a little surprised. "Since when have you shown interest in them?"

She shrugged. "They've gone pro so might as well date one that's going to give me a challenge in a duel."

I began thinking a bit. "Well…Jack has actually started dating a reporter."

Sherry eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?! When? Any girl he dates is usually known by all of his fans!"

"Well, to answer the second question, he wants this relationship to be kept from the public eye. He doesn't want the attention on this one because he apparently cares about her a lot. To answer the first question, Akiza is friends with his current girlfriend. She received news of their relationship about a day after she got here in New Domino City."

"Hmm…that would leave Crow then."

I noted her uncertainty. "Were you expecting Crow as a last resort?"

"Sort of. I've heard some rumors that he's a little…well-"

"-enthusiastic on having sex?" I asked, knowing the rumors about Crow.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"He's a good guy deep down," I assured Sherry. "But I would advise reining him in if he does go a bit overdrive or seems to stare at…private areas."

"Okay, got it! Thanks Yusei! Nice seeing you again!" She began to run down the sidewalk.

"Wait!" I yelled after her. "Crow lives-"

"-at the tallest hotel suite in New Domino for this week! I know where he is!" she yelled over her shoulder.

I stared after her in shock, wondering how she knew where Crow lived. I might not want to think about it too much. I shivered a bit when I realized how cold it was getting. Fall had just ended and weather reports from the news claimed that this winter was going to set a new record in New Domino City.

Riding back towards Zora's garage, I realized that some of the traffic lights weren't on. Great, today's a perfect day for the power to go out in the district that I lived in. I parked in front of the front entrance to the garage.

I entered the garage, now illuminated by the fading daylight streaming through the windows. "Akiza!"

"In the kitchen!"

I figured she was there, but it didn't hurt to see if she was still there. I walked over to her, where she was putting food back into containers.

She smiled a bit weakly. "Sorry Yusei, the dinner I had in mind needed the oven and stove."

I hugged her, comforting her. "It's okay, we can go eat out after we put the food in a cooler." I indicated the fridge.

About an hour later, Akiza and I were sitting in a casual restaurant waiting for our meals to come. While we were waiting, I told her about my talk with Sherry.

Once I finished telling her the story, her eyes widened in surprise. "Sherry is interested in CROW?"

I responded after I took a quick sip from my glass of water. "Yeah, it surprised me as well. She apparently wants a challenge from her significant other when they duel. With Crow being a pro duelist, he kind of fits the bill. I'll have to call him within the next day or so to see if Sherry has come to his place yet."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot how she apparently knows where he lives." She laughed a bit. "Is she that desperate to find a guy?"

The food we ordered was served to us at that time and we moved onto other topics. Once we finished dinner, we returned to Zora's garage.

I slammed the car door shut after parking the car and I instantly began to shiver as the cold began to register. Forgot how cold this place can get without the heater. I noticed how much Akiza was shivering, so I took off my jacket and let her wear it.

She smiled as she felt at my jacket's fabric. "Hey, Yusei?"

"Yes?"

Her cheeks reddened a bit. "This isn't enough to keep me warm for the night."

That's true, the power wasn't on and who knows when it does come back. "Sure, I can get some covers-"

"Um, Yusei?" Akiza looked away, slightly embarrassed as her blush deepened. "I don't want covers. I want you, Yusei."

I was pretty sure my cheeks were the same color as Akiza's. "Uh, you sure you want to? I'm fine with it, but-?"

She gently placed two fingers on my lips, like she did a week ago. "Yusei, on a cold night like tonight, covers won't be enough to warm me up. I want to be with you tonight, in your warm embrace."

She gently took my hand and pulled me up the stairs to my room where we quietly slipped under the covers of my bed. She rested next to me, her face just inches of mine as our body heat warmed up the space under the covers.

"Hey, Yusei?"

"Yes?"

""I'm glad we met at the Fortune Cup, even though I wasn't very nice to you at first."

I smiled. "It's all right, I got to meet the most beautiful girl out of it."

She kissed me, her eyes shining in the darkness as she looked into my eyes and everything seemed to melt away as sleep took me.

The presence of sunlight woke me up. I opened my eyes a crack to see a sliver of sunlight peeking through the curtains. I became aware that I was on my back now and a presence on my body. I was not surprised to see the presence as Akiza, still sleeping. I must have been really tired last night if I didn't remember turning onto my back with Akiza.

I didn't mind how I waked up to be honest. It was better to wake up with someone you love than waking up with no one. It-

Suddenly my cellphone on my nightstand began to ring. Akiza began to wake up and I grudgingly picked up the phone, slightly annoyed of how it broke the peace of the morning.

"Hello?"

Crow's angry voice spoke through the phone. "Yusei, what the hell is up you?!"

"Crow, what do you mean?"

This question seemed to anger Crow some more. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN: what do you mean? I'm talking about Sherry LeBlanc!"

I noticed Akiza was listening to the conversation clearly with how loud Crow was. "Huh? Oh yeah. I talked to her yesterday about someone to date-"

"What? Why didn't you inform me immediately?"

I frowned a bit. "Um, I'm not following you, Crow."

"Why didn't you tell me she was going to be staying over at my place?"

Akiza's eyes widened. I cleared my throat a bit. "What? She's staying over at your place?"

Crow suddenly sounded extremely happy. "Yeah, and it's so great! Though I wish I tidied up a-"

"Great?! Are you two dating or something?"

"Yup! We went out last night."

I thought back to yesterday. When she said looking for someone to date I thought she just meant dinner, but moving in with Crow is a completely different story.

I could hear Sherry calling Crow to breakfast in the background. "Anyway, Yusei, I just wanted to call to say thanks!" He then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Besides, now I get a chance to actually have sex for the first time!"

He hung up after that. I had to shake my head in disbelief. Sherry starts off their relationship with her moving in? They barely even know each other. Oh well, I'm not going to invade Crow's relationship. This is actually the longest he's been in a relationship with a girl.

I put my cellphone back onto the nightstand and looked at Akiza, now fully awake. "Well, that was an interesting wake up call," I joked.

She smiled a bit. "It looks like Crow is actually doing better than he has in the past."

I stretched my arms out to the side, laughing. "You can say that again. Though I'm not sure how long it will last."

She lowered her head down and our lips touched. We kissed and kissed, changing our positions every so often when Akiza stopped suddenly. "Wait, the power's back on!"

I looked to where she was looking at, my nightstand where my clock's lights were blinking.

I felt a little embarrassed not noticing the time on my phone. "Huh, I wonder what time it is?"

I reached for my cellphone again and turned the screen on. Oh shoot! Seven-thirty?! I jumped out of bed. "Shoot! We're going to be late for work!"

I showed her the time on my phone and we immediately scrambled to get ready for work. I guess we were going to have to take a rain check for a moment together.


End file.
